Senate candidate Mayer booted from Indy line

Assemblywoman and state Senate candidate Shelley Mayer, a Democrat, was removed from the Independence Line ballot this week after a ruling came down from a state judge.

The decision, by Justice Henry Zwack, ruled that because the Independence Party broke its own procedures and nominated Mayer without a quorum present, and because the meeting wasn’t properly noticed, that Mayer will not appear on the line’s ballot for an April 24 special election. Mayer has not yet appealed the decision, as of press time.

The Independence Party, headed by Dr. Giulio Cavallo, endorsed Mayer in February over Republican candidate for the state 37th Senate District seat, Julie Killian. According to Board of Elections numbers, there are about 8,000 registered Independence Party voters in that district. The party is also the third biggest party in Westchester County, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 2-1. The 37th District boasts about 27,000 more Democratic voters over Republicans.

The party’s endorsement of Mayer marks a shift from a race in 2016 when Killian—a former Rye City councilwoman—secured the line in her unsuccessful bid to unseat then-state Sen. George Latimer, a Rye Democrat, who, in turn, vacated his seat after winning a 2017 bid for Westchester County executive.

Mayer and Killian are set to go head to head in a special election next month in what will be a pivotal seat in the New York state Senate where Republicans currently maintain a slim one-seat majority over Democrats.

Republicans have been unsuccessful in their efforts to win the District 37 seat for some time, including several well-financed and highly organized runs against previous incumbent, Latimer.

The district covers the cities of Yonkers, White Plains, New Rochelle and Rye, and the towns of Eastchester, Harrison, Mamaroneck, Rye, Bedford and North Castle. Senators are elected to two-year terms for a base salary of $79,500 per year.

-Reporting by James Pero

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Author: James PeroJames Pero joined the Review in June 2015.
Pero is a graduate of SUNY Purchase, where he studied journalism, cutting his teeth as a managing editor of the school’s arts magazine, The Purchase Beat.
After graduating, Pero moved on to become a staff writer for news media startup Curiousmatic where he wrote about global finance and world conflicts.
Pero is a resident of Mount Vernon, New York and originally hails from Buffalo, New York.
You can reach him at 914-653-1000 ext. 20 or james@hometwn.com.